Another Chapter Closed
by Ann Pendragon
Summary: JERICHO The end of another chapter in Jake Green's life.


**DISCLAIMER: **Sadly, I do not own Jericho or any of its characters. Do like to play with them though.

I'm one of those folks that think Jake Green isn't ready for the love of his life till he deals with the past. Emily is not a bad person, but she is another chapter in Jake's life he needs to close.

**Another Chapter Closed**

Jake pulled the door closed with a soft click, then leaned against the frame as if wounded.

'_It really was over.'_

This afternoon, he had stopped by Emily's to check on her roof. The shingles above her upstairs bathroom had blown off during the winter and Mother Nature had found her way in. Jake had put down some recycled shingles from the abandoned house next door and patched the bathroom ceiling as best he could before Emily got him to take a break and have some supper as payment for his troubles. It was only suppose to be supper…

Jake wasn't going to reason tonight away by saying it was just two old lovers finding comfort in their old spark or the fact Jake hadn't been with a woman in well over a year. He cared about Emily, always had, even when he was gone those five years he still cared about her. When he claimed her lips and then took Emily to her bed tonight it was with genuine affection. It wasn't till it was over and he was cradling Emily in his arms, did he begin to feel the unexplainable guilt. The feeling creped over his heart and forced him to see what he had been telling himself wasn't true, he was no longer in love with Emily Sullivan.

Jake pushed his hands over his face and through his hair trying to scrub away the emotions that now clung to him.

Soon after their moment, Emily must have sensed something wrong. There was never any point in lying to her so he told her. She cried, hell, he cried for having to cause her any hurt. But then she sat back down beside him and took a breath. She told him she had already known. She just wanted one more chance to prove she was wrong.

"I'll have you know, Jake Green is a hard thing to get out of one's system." She tried a smile that just didn't work. He took her hands in his and kissed them gently.

"I'll have you know, I'm always gonna care about you." Emily had pulled her hands away from him and clenched them in her lap.

"I know--- to much history." She had said. "And don't you dare say it's because were going to remain such good friends."

"Emily…"

"You already have a good female friend…"

"Emily, don't."

They sat in silence before she said one last thing.

"Someday your gonna have to decide to let people in, Jake. I waited over a decade and still felt like I was just standing in the doorway." Jake could find no words to say, he pushed up from the bed and picked up the rest of his cloths and left.

Now outside her door, Emily's words settled into his gut and squeezed. With one last look back, he was gone.

Only half a day passed before Jake was given a reminder that some secrets aren't secrets in a small town, or at least in his mothers' house.

"So Honey, did you fix Emily's roof?" Jake didn't have to look at his mom to know she was sporting one of her 'I know' stares.

"Mom…" Jake placed the last bag of salt in the pantry.

"Jake, you've both gone through so much and this time there are other people involved."

"MOM!"

He felt his mother walk behind him and place her hands upon his dipping shoulders. Jake felt something foreign in his stomach; his mother already seemed to sense it there. He wanted to tell someone.

"We ended it last night, me and Emily. We don't love each other, not like we did." Jake bowed his head with the admission and turned into his mothers embrace.

Gail didn't ask if her son was sure of the decision. Her son very rarely spoke the things that were in his heart and when he did speak them, he was already certain of the choice.

Jake pulled from his mom and sprawled out in one of the kitchen chairs then began to pick at the linens on the table.

"I think we both knew it before…" Jake left the words hang, not willing to talk about his sex life with his mother. Gail nodded her head in understanding.

"People change Jake. Neither of you are who you use to be. Even if you could, I don't think you would change that fact." Jake gave his mother a combative look.

"You think I wouldn't?"

"I know you wouldn't Jake and you know it." Gail watched her son take in a deep breath and settle himself.

"Your right, but it doesn't make it sting any less."

Gail gave a knowing smile to her son. Not many people knew the size of Jake Green's heart, only the extent he took to conceal it. The fact he was opening to her now, told her how much this development in his life had shaken him. She felt for her son, she always felt for both of her sons even when she didn't agree with their decisions, but she also felt relief. Gail knew her son well enough to know the things he wanted for himself were not necessarily the things he needed. Gail was relieved to find Jake closing another chapter of his past to move forward with the future. The past always seemed to be Jakes greatest opponent.

"Emily was your first love Jake, but she will not be your last." She watched him become more interested in the linen threads he was pulling on. Gail reached out to her son and kneeled before him, trying to catch his eyes.

"Please promise me son--- please promise me you won't shut down this part of your heart. You have too much to give to have it waste away in a life without love."

Gail watched her son nod his head in silence. She stood from him and kissed his turned cheek.

"She's out there Jake, love is out there. It's when you finally get a chance to take a breath you'll realize love has been right in front of you all along, just waiting to take your breath away again." She smiled hopefully at her son when his eyes took a brief detour to meet hers. Gail knew Jake wasn't ready for what she hoped for him, but she also knew he kept his promises to her when he could. Her son would find love again; she just hoped that love was going to be patient.

_fin._


End file.
